NoSo

Baek Hwong (born 1997), known professionally as NoSo, is a Korean-American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, and composer.[1] NoSo is known for their 2022 debut album, Stay Proud of Me.[2][3][4]

Early life and influences

NoSo was born Baek Hwong on May 14, 1997, in Chicago, Illinois.[2][3][4] They grew up attending a music festival at a venue where musicians such as B. B. King, Bonnie Raitt, and Aretha Franklin performed.[2] They participated in theater classes during their childhood, and performed in productions such as West Side Story.[3]

At the age of 12, NoSo decided to pursue their own musical endeavors.^[citation needed] They initially took guitar lessons at a local music store, until deciding to learn to play guitar on their own in their family’s basement.[2][3] When they were 16, NoSo moved to Los Angeles and started to write music.[2][3] Eventually, NoSo pursued their undergraduate education at the University of Southern California's Thornton School of Music, where they studied popular music.[2]

Career

NoSo signed with Partisan Records under the stage name NoSo.[2]

In 2019, NoSo participated in NPR Music's Tiny Desk Concert.[2][1]

NoSo’s debut album is entitled Stay Proud of Me.[2][3] NoSo began to lay the groundwork for their debut album in 2017, and eventually recorded the work in their family’s condominium during the COVID-19 quarantine.[3] The guitar-led album was released on July 8, 2022, as a coming-of-age story that encapsulates NoSo’s experiences with their gender and racial identity thus far.[2][4][5] The cover art for this album was inspired by Korean records from the 1980s that NoSo’s parents played for them as a baby.[2]

NoSo is a trans artist, and they have utilized songwriting as a space in which they can process their ever-evolving gender identity.[1] This is exemplified by the experience NoSo had when writing the opening track of the album, titled “Parasites”, as it was written while they were recovering from gender-affirming top surgery.[2][5] Several songs on the album express their reflections on their complex and inextricably connected identities as a queer transgender Korean-American who grew up in a predominantly white neighborhood.[2][1]

References

1. Boilen, Bob (29 September 2021). "New Mix: Le Ren, Wet Leg, Ustad Saami, NoSo, More". NPR. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
2. Mannion, Elle (7 July 2022). "NoSo's debut album is a care package for someone in need: Their younger self". NPR. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
3. Walker, Sophie (4 April 2022). "On the Rise: NoSo". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
4. Kalia, Ammar (2 July 2022). "One to Watch: NoSo". The Guardian. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
5. "Fresh Face: NoSo". Notion. 17 June 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2023.